


The Happy Cabbage Project

by simpleapricot



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Anniversary, Diakko Day, F/F, Fluff, gift-giving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:19:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29138433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpleapricot/pseuds/simpleapricot
Summary: It's the one-year anniversary of the Noir Missile Incident, and Akko and Diana want to do something special for each other. The problem is, they're not quite sure what to do.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58





	The Happy Cabbage Project

Akko never cared about dates. No, not the kind with Diana (she loved those!). Akko forgot about holidays, school breaks, and birthdays. Mom and Dad would never let her forget about the time she had walked downstairs to find a cake and lit candles and asked, “whose birthday is it?” It was hers!

That wasn’t true of everything, of course. Akko had counted down the days to Shiny Chariot’s show on her Shiny Chariot Magical Calendar, and she had used that same calendar to mark the time until she left for Luna Nova ten years later. But those were always looking _forward_ to something, never looking _back_.

This was different. On February 1st, Akko and Diana had saved magic, together.

So, for the first time in her life, she wanted to celebrate an anniversary.

* * *

“Why. Won’t. It. Just. Work!”

Akko kicked a rock in frustration…

“OW!”

…and nearly broke her toe. She stumbled over to a bench and looked up at the sky, still seething from the lingering pain. The last green embers of magic from her latest show were still floating in the wind, dancing with each gust and current.

What was she doing wrong?

It wasn’t the magic this time. Akko could work around that. One time, when she was practicing a show in front of her friends, she got stuck as a walrus and had to hold the wand with her flippers for the rest of the act. They loved it! It was actually a standard part of her show now.

No, her spells were working perfectly. So why did it feel so wrong? Why couldn’t Akko come up with anything to celebrate the most important day—and person—in her life? She pulled out her little planning book, and its handwritten cover stared back at her.

_The Happy Cabbage Project!_

Akko giggled at the doodle of a suspiciously Diana-like head of lettuce going from a frown to a smile before kissing a stick figure with a cute little ponytail.

She flipped through the pages.

_Plan 1: Shiny Akko Makes Cabbage Smile!!!!!_

A bit further.

_Plan 4: Akko and Diana Dance ~~With~~ Under the Stars!_

No, still not the right one.

_Plan 17: The Actual Final Plan…Version 2_

There! Akko would start off by giving a little speech about how these two days a year ago had been the most important in her whole life. Then, she would show Diana why. She would show how Diana had brought her back and made her believe in her believing heart again with the help of dancing spirits. She would take Diana on her broom and they would save magic together again! As they held hands among the stars, she would tell Diana how that was the moment she fell in love.

It was so beautiful…on paper. When Akko actually tried performing it, it fell flat. The speeches were wooden. The transitions were forced. And the big climactic moment high above Luna Nova was ruined by how cold it was. If they kissed, Akko worried that they might get stuck together!

So, back to the drawing board it was. Akko would go inside, get herself a cup of warm tea (it really was cold out here!), and draw up “Plan 18: The Actual Final Plan…Version 3!”

But as she walked up the empty stairwell, she started to wonder if her new plan was really different from any of the rest. Maybe this idea was stupid. Akko probably just wasn’t a good enough witch yet to give Diana the show she deserved.

No. That wasn’t right. Akko was a great witch, and a great girlfriend too! She just needed to think harder. What would Diana really want…

Akko burst into her room, raced into her chair, and furrowed her brow in concentration.

Nothing.

She had thought of nothing.

Her eyes wandered, as they often did, to the shelf above her desk. It was littered with bits and bobs: a ticket to the NightFall 366th Volume Release Event, a mushroom that looked a lot like Diana, and, of course, her most prized possession. The deck of Chariot Premium cards was, unlike the rest of her things, kept in perfect condition. And atop it was Akko’s favorite card of all.

_“A believing heart is your magic”_

A massive smile broke out on her face as her head filled with ideas.

Just like that, Akko knew what she had to do.

* * *

Diana folded the paper over and put it to the side. The little stack of rejected pages had been growing all evening, and she was getting tired.

“Still not good enough.”

It was surprising how difficult Diana was finding this. At the risk of seeming arrogant, she considered herself quite a good writer. Her primary skillset was in magic, of course, but the years spent buried under stacks of books had not hurt her ability to spin a phrase. She had won Luna Nova’s academic writing competition every year since she had entered the school, and she had much experience with personal letters from the assorted demands of aristocratic life.

So why was this so hard?

Diana loved Akko. She was certain that Akko knew that. Still, on this occasion she wanted Akko to understand the depth of her feelings. And, for that, she needed to put them into words. But, as the pile of papers attested, she was finding it quite vexing.

Alas, nothing ever came of worrying about why a task could not be accomplished. The only solution was to make another attempt. She flipped open _Personal Letter Writing: A Comprehensive Manual_ , readied her quill, and began to write.

_Dear Akko_ ,

_One year ago today was perhaps the most significant moment of my life. I saw my lifelong dream of magic’s restoration achieved. I will always treasure the memory of Yggdrasil’s maternal branches stretching out across the globe. That memory is ever more precious to me because I was able to experience it with you._

_That is the true reason why I am writing you today. I wish to express my love. I believe that it is impossible to adequately convey the depth of the affection I feel for you. I beg your forgiveness, and I hope that you will accept this message as the most definitive proof that I can provide._

_When I awake in the morning, I await nothing more than my morning tea with you. When I am in class, I want nothing more than to study magic with you. When I go to bed at night, I reflect on the days I have spent with you, and I wish for an eternity more._

_Akko, you truly are the most wonderful witch I have ever had the privilege to know. A year and a day ago, I told you that I believe in your believing heart. I now feel that statement needs to be amended ever so slightly._

_I will always believe in your believing heart._

_With my utmost love and affection,_

_Diana Cavendish_

She set her quill down and allowed herself a brief respite, her gaze passing over the books on her shelf without stopping to read any of the words on them. The time was enough to allow her mind to wander.

This one seemed like it had gone well. Then again, hadn’t Diana felt the same about the last three drafts? What would she do if it wasn’t good enough? Was there anything she could do? Diana felt an uncharacteristic bout of impatience and took the page in her hands with trepidation. Her eyes moved deliberately across the page, taking in every line with care.

The letter was…good. Perhaps the most heartfelt piece of writing Diana had ever produced, and quite certainly at the outer limits of her ability.

It was not enough. There was no way this was sufficient for the depth of feelings Diana wanted to convey. Certainly, she had told Akko how much she loved her. If only there were some way Diana could show her too. 

She read the letter again and again.

_One year ago today…_

She hoped against hope that its four corners would contain the answer she needed.

_When I awake in the morning…_

But there was none to be found.

_Akko, you truly are…_

It was hopeless.

_I will always treasure the memory…_

Wait. Diana reread that last line.

_I will always treasure the memory of Yggdrasil’s maternal branches stretching out across the globe._

Diana felt a swell of exhilaration in her chest, and she was delayed in searching through the shelves only by the excited waving of her hands. Her shaking had barely settled as she pulled the notebook off the shelf.

_Experimental Spellcasting Notes, Diana Cavendish_

She moved through the familiar pages, settling on one adorned with a drawing of a great tree.

Just like that, Diana knew what she had to do.

* * *

No, no, no! She couldn’t be late! Not tonight!

Akko bounded down the stairs, turned the corner, and raced out onto the grounds.

Why did she have to be so nervous? She spent so long putting the finishing touches on her speech that she forgot to actually go meet Diana! Akko didn’t even realize until Sucy pointed out that she should have been at the Jennifer Greenhouse ten minutes ago.

Well, that didn’t matter right now. Akko just had to make sure that the rest of the day was _super_ special, and then Diana would probably completely forget that she was late!

Gulp.

She was almost there. One more turn and…

The sight nearly stopped Akko in her tracks. Diana was standing outside the door, her hair shining in the light of the full moon.

For a moment, Akko just stared. She never wanted that moment to end.

Diana caught sight of Akko, her face lighting up in a warm smile. She beckoned with a gentle wave.

Akko needed to hug Diana _right_ _now_. She raced over and wrapped Diana in her arms with a shout.

“Happy anniversary!”

“Happy anniversary, love.”

Diana was still smiling. Akko knew she was supposed to wait, try to set the mood, and all that, but she just couldn’t hold back for even one more second.

“I have a present for you!”

No, wait, she was supposed to give the speech first! She stepped back and met Diana’s smiling gaze.

“Um…I mean,” Akko cleared her throat, “When I found out what Chariot did to my—no, our—magic, it was the worst day of my life. I felt so, so, _so_ hurt. And lost. And broken. And when I thought that I would never be a witch…” Her vision began to swim.

“Akko…”

“But you saved me! Nobody else could have done it, but you saved me! And then we saved magic, together.”

She paused for a moment.

“You know, sometimes I worried I would never be able to fly. But then I would look at the Chariot card you gave me. When I read ‘a believing heart is your magic,’ I could hear you saying it. Then, I knew I could do it.”

Diana’s eyes were sparkling.

“So I thought about how you didn’t have a card to look at, and I thought…I could fix that.” Akko slid a thin case out of her jacket pocket and held it out to Diana. Her girlfriend took the case with a shaking hand, held it for a moment, and opened it. Akko waited in nervous anticipation as Diana looked at the glossy-foiled card.

_A Believing Heart is Your Magic_

_信じる心があなたの魔法_

Above it was a portrait of Akko and Diana, holding the Shiny Rod among the stars.

“Akko—I—this is…” Diana seemed to struggle for the right words as she stared at the card like it was the most precious thing in the world, only to turn to Akko with a look that was infinitely more tender.

“Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Diana closed the case and held it to herself as she took out a single sheet of paper. “I have something to show you, too. But, please, don’t look up until you’ve finished reading.”

_Dear Akko,_

_One year ago today…_

The letter was _beautiful_. So beautiful, in fact, that Akko didn’t notice the tell-tale sound of Diana readying her wand.

_When I awake in the morning…_

She didn’t notice when the letter was bathed in a faint green glow.

_I will always believe in your believing heart._

_With my utmost love and affection,_

_Diana Cavendish_

_P.S., The sky is truly beautiful tonight._

Akko looked up towards the heavens.

It was…awe inspiring.

Shimmering green tendrils were set above their heads, pulsating with magical energy. They rose in great curves towards an unseen point high above.

“Yggdrasil…”

“Sometimes that day feels like a dream to me. Standing above the world, looking down on Yggdrasil with you. I thought you might feel the same way. So I wanted to show you. It’s still here, healthy and strong. All this beauty,” Diana gestured above herself, “is because of you.”

But Akko couldn’t see it anymore. She was too focused on Diana.

_I love her._

They came together. Akko caressed Diana’s cheek.

_I love her_.

The magical light of Yggdrasil reflected in Diana’s eyes.

_I love her._

Akko closed her eyes and leaned back in a now-familiar motion, her lips joining with Diana’s in a sweet kiss. Akko pulled back and met Diana’s eyes again.

They spoke together with one voice.

“I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm really thankful for the opportunity to participate in Diakko Day.


End file.
